Small library works-in-a-drawer

ABSTRACT

The present invention is an automated storage library suitable for rack-mount and desktop installations. Storage media cartridges and a robotic mechanism that transport the storage media cartridges internal to the library are mounted on a moveable drawer. With the drawer at an internal position, the robotic mechanism transports the storage media cartridges between cartridge slots mounted on the drawer and read-write media drives and other cartridge handling devices not mounted on the drawer. The drawer is capable of moving through an opening in the storage library housing to an external position where the storage media cartridges and the robotic mechanism are readily accessible. At the external position, the storage media cartridges can be inserted and removed from the cartridge slots. The drawer may be detachable from the housing to allow unobstructed access to the components housed in the interior of the storage library.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.09/400,499 filed Sep. 21, 1999 which is incorporated herein in itsentirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] This invention is related to the field of desktop andrack-mounted libraries that store removable storage media cartridges.

BACKGROUND ART

[0003] Small storage libraries are often designed to be mountable innineteen-inch racks. Rack mounting places several restrictions on theinternal layout of the library. For example, routine access to theinterior of the library is limited to the front side of the library.Interior access through the library sides is usually blocked by the rackcabinet. Access through the top or bottom sides is often blocked byother equipment mounted in the rack. As a result, small storagelibraries requiring only a few storage media cartridges usually positionthe cartridges in cartridge slots along the front side of the library.From this position the storage media cartridges are readily accessibleto a user and their labels can be easily viewed. The cartridge slots aredesigned to permit storage media cartridge insertion and removal throughthe side of the cartridge slot facing the user. Side access to thecartridge slots helps keep the height of the library low since no spaceabove or below the cartridge slots is required to accommodate thestorage media cartridges or the user's hands. Robotic mechanisms andcartridge handling devices, such as read-write media drives, read-onlydrives, and transfer ports (a mechanism used to import and exportcartridges from the library) do not require routine access thus they aretypically positioned in the middle or back of the library. Positioningthese devices further back in the library also helps keep their movingmachinery out of reach of the user thus reducing the probability ofinjury.

[0004] To increase the capacity of the storage library, the number ofstorage media cartridges held in the storage library is typicallyincreased. Three different configurations have been used to accommodateadditional cartridges within the rack-mount width constraint. In thefirst configuration, two rows of cartridge slots, one on top of theother, are provided at the front end of the library. Label viewing isaccomplished through a window or door at the front of the library.Storage media cartridge insertion and removal are performed through thefront side of the cartridge slots. This first configuration, however,requires a tall housing to accommodate the top row of storage mediacartridges.

[0005] In the second configuration, the additional storage mediacartridges are positioned in a second row on the same plane as, andbehind the front row of storage media cartridges. An example of thisconfiguration can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 5,892,750, issued to Barkleyet al., on Apr. 6, 1999. Barkley discloses a library having tencartridges held in a removable magazine positioned at the front of thehousing. Five additional cartridges are stored in a back row next to thedrive. This approach keeps the library height low, but the second row ishidden behind the first row. The user must rely on the robotic mechanismto carry the desired cartridge between the second row and a “mailbox” atthe front of the library. Alternatively, the user must physically removethe front row of storage media cartridges to see and access thecartridges in the second row. Both approaches for reaching the secondrow are slow, and reliance on the robotic mechanism leaves the storagemedia cartridges in the second row vulnerable to mechanical andelectrical failures.

[0006] The third storage library configuration positions all of thestorage media cartridges in a row perpendicular to the front of thelibrary. This configuration takes advantage of the greater depth thanwidth of the library to accommodate more storage media cartridges. Anexample of this configuration is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,870,245issued to Kersey et al., on Feb. 9, 1999. Storage media cartridgeinsertion and removal are typically accomplished using a removablemagazine. (Overall, magazines are undesirable for cost, schedule andmaintenance reasons.) Labels can only be read while the removablemagazine is outside the storage library. After the removable magazinehas been installed in the storage library, the user has no direct meansto view or access the storage media cartridges.

[0007] Positioning the robotic mechanism, cartridge handling devices andother components out of reach and out of sight from the user hasadvantages from a safety point of view, but has several disadvantagesfrom a maintenance point of view. When the robotic mechanism is hiddenfrom view and it is not operating properly, then the user must removethe housing from the rack and open it to inspect the robotic mechanism.Repair or replacement work that must be performed on any component notpositioned near the front of the housing also requires the storagelibrary housing to be removed from the rack and opened. Even if thecomponent is accessible from the front side of the storage library, theuser must see and work through a short opening, usually less than seveninches tall.

[0008] Another problem facing the user of the small storage libraryoccurs when the robotic mechanism jams a storage media cartridge whiletrying to insert that cartridge into a cartridge slot or cartridgehandling device. The robotic mechanism itself, and other componentsnearby sometimes makes it impossible to free the jammed storage mediacartridge by reaching in from the front of the library. Again, thelibrary must be removed from the rack and the housing opened to providethe necessary clearance to fix the problem.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

[0009] The present invention is an automated storage library suitablefor rack-mount and desktop installations. Storage media cartridges and arobotic mechanism that transport the storage media cartridges internalto the library are mounted on a moveable drawer. With the drawer at aninternal operating position, the robotic mechanism transports thestorage media cartridges between cartridge slots mounted on the drawerand read-write media drives and other cartridge handling devices notmounted on the drawer. The drawer is capable of moving through anopening in the storage library housing to an external position. Movementto the external position allows for easy access to the robotic mechanismand all of the storage media cartridges no matter how the storage mediacartridges are positioned with respect to the robotic mechanism.Movement to the external position also allows top insertion and removalof the storage media cartridges from the cartridge slots whilemaintaining a low storage library height. The drawer may be detachablefrom the housing to allow unobstructed access to the other componentspositioned in the interior of the storage library.

[0010] During normal operations the opening in the housing is covered bya door to prevent human injury by the robotic mechanism. The door may bepivotally attached to the housing or fixed to the drawer. Attaching thedoor to the housing allows the door to be opened while the roboticmechanism is in motion. During maintenance operations the open doorallows the user to watch the robotic mechanism cycle through its tasks.

[0011] In another embodiment, the cartridge slots that hold the storagemedia cartridges are part of a removable magazine attached to thedrawer. The magazine allows for rapid installation and removable ofseveral storage media cartridges at a time. A bar code reader may bemounted on the robotic mechanism or the drawer to support automaticinventory of the storage media cartridges.

[0012] Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to providea storage library where the robotic mechanism and all of the storagemedia cartridges are mounted on a drawer that is moveable to theexterior of the storage library where they are readily accessible to theuser. Preferably, installation and removal of the storage mediacartridges are performed through the top of the cartridge slots thathold the storage media cartridges.

[0013] Another object of the present invention is to provide a storagelibrary where the front end of the cartridge handling devices areaccessible to the user through the front side of the storage libraryafter the robotic mechanism and storage media cartridges have been movedto the exterior of the storage library.

[0014] These and other objects, features and advantages will be readilyapparent upon consideration of the following detailed description inconjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0015]FIG. 1 is a top view of a first embodiment of a storage libraryimplementing the present invention;

[0016]FIG. 2 is a top view of the first embodiment with the drawer atthe external position;

[0017]FIG. 3 is a top view of a second embodiment of a storage library;

[0018]FIG. 4 is a top view of a third embodiment of a storage library;

[0019]FIG. 5 is a top view of the third embodiment with the drawer atthe external position; and

[0020]FIG. 6 is a top view of a fourth embodiment of a storage libraryincluding a removable magazine.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0021] A small automated storage library implementing the presentinvention is shown in FIG. 1. The storage library has as housing 100that is typically, but not necessarily, nineteen inches (483millimeters) wide, seven to ten and one half inches (118 to 267millimeters) tall and twenty-five or more inches (635 millimeters) deep.Inside the housing 100 are multiple cartridge slots 102 used to holdstorage media cartridges 104.

[0022] A robotic mechanism 106 transports the storage media cartridges104 between the cartridge slots 102 and cartridge handling devices suchas a media drive 108 and a transfer port 110. (For this example and theexamples that follow, the robotic mechanism 106 is shown as a pickerassembly 107 attached to a linear carriage 109 riding on a track 111.Other variations of the robotic mechanism 106 may be used within thescope of the present invention.) Media drive 108 may be a read-writedrive, a read-only drive, or a write-only drive. Transfer port 110imports and exports one or more storage media cartridges 102 at a timefrom the library. The robotic mechanism 106 may carry a bar code reader112 for reading bar codes on the label side 114 of the storage mediacartridges 102. The bar code reader 112 supports automatic inventoryoperations in the library.

[0023] In this embodiment, the cartridge slots 102 and the roboticmechanism 106 are mounted on a drawer 116. The drawer 116 in turn, isslidably attached to the housing 100 by two drawer slides 118. Thedrawer slides 118 allow the drawer 116 to move between and internalposition inside the housing 100, as shown in FIG. 1, and an externalposition, as shown in FIG. 2. Media drive 108 and the transfer port 110are mounted to the housing 100 so they do not move with the drawer 116.Drawer 116 is shaped to allow the robotic mechanism 106 to align withthe media drive 108 and transfer port 110 when the drawer 116 is at theinternal position.

[0024]FIG. 2 is a top view of the small automated storage library shownin FIG. 1. In this figure the drawer slides 118 are fully extendedplacing the drawer 116 at the external position. A door 120 covering anopening 122 in the housing 100 swings open to allow the drawer 116,robotic mechanism 106, cartridge slots 102 and the storage mediacartridges 104 to slide in and out of the housing 100.

[0025] Once the cartridge slots 102 are outside the housing 100, thestorage media cartridges 104 are easily inserted and removed from thecartridge slots 102. Insertion and removal of the storage mediacartridges 104 may be performed from the side of the cartridge slots 102or from the top of the cartridge slots 102. Top insertion and removal isthe preferred approach because it offers clear access to the storagemedia cartridges 104. Side insertion and removal must content with thedrawer 116 itself, and possibly the robotic mechanism 106. Since storagemedia cartridge 104 insertion and removal are performed with thecartridge slots 102 external to the housing 100, the housing size can bekept to a minimum. The housing height and width need only account forwhen the robotic mechanism 106 inserts and removes the storage mediacartridges 104 from the cartridge slots 102. Space around the cartridgeslots 102 required by a human user (not shown) to access the storagemedia cartridges 104 is not necessary when the drawer 116 is in theinternal position.

[0026] With the drawer 116 at the external position, the roboticmechanism 106 may be positioned at one of several locations fordifferent operations. In situations where the user wishes to handle orview the label side 104 of the storage media cartridges 104, the roboticmechanism 106 may be moved to a rear position 200 (shown in phantom) atthe back of the drawer 116 away from the cartridge slots 102. Rearposition 200 gives the user an unobstructed view and side access to thestorage media cartridges 104. During debugging operations, the roboticmechanism 106 may be moved to an adjacent position next to the cartridgeslots 102, as shown as a central position 202. Here, the user mayobserve the robotic mechanism 106 in action inserting and removingstorage media cartridges 104 from the cartridge slots 102, reading thebar-codes on the label sides 114, and traversing from one cartridge slot102 to another. For maintenance operations, the robotic mechanism 106may be moved to a front position 204 (shown in phantom) at the edge ofthe drawer 116 furthest from the housing 100. Front position 204 allowsthe user good access while repairing, maintaining, and even replacingthe robotic mechanism 106.

[0027] The drawer 116 may be detachable from the drawer slides 118. Thisfeature is useful for maintenance and production purposes. For example,detaching drawer 116 from the drawer slides 118 clears opening 122allowing for better access into the housing 100 during maintenance.Field replacements of a failed robotic mechanism 106 can be accomplishedby removing the old drawer 116 and installing a new drawer 116 without amajor disassembly of the housing 100. Also, the robotic mechanism 106and cartridge slots 102 mounted on the drawer 116 create anindependently testable subassembly in the storage library fabricationprocess.

[0028] A second embodiment of a small automated storage libraryimplementing the present invention is shown in FIG. 3. In thisconfiguration, the cartridge slots 102, media drive 108, and roboticmechanism 106 are oriented in rows substantially parallel to the frontside of this housing 300. The cartridge slots 102 and robotic mechanism106 are mounted on drawer 316. Drawer 316 is attached to the housing 300through drawer slides 318. Additional drawer slides 318 may be includedtoward the left-to-right center of the drawer 316 as necessary forsupport. Media drive 108 is mounted to the housing 300. With the drawer316 at the interior, or normal operating position, as shown in FIG. 3,the robotic mechanism 106 has access to the media drive 108. With thedrawer 316 at the exterior position, the user has easy access to thestorage media cartridges 104 and the robotic mechanism 106. Oneadvantage of the configuration shown in FIG. 3 over that shown in FIG. 1is that opening the door 320 gives the user an unobstructed path to thefront side of the media drive 108. With this access, the user can mountcleaning cartridges in the media drive 108, and view any indicators andselect any controls available on the front side of the media drive 108.Another advantage of the configuration shown in FIG. 3 is that the labelside 114 of all of the storage media cartridges 104 are viewable withthe drawer 316 in the interior position.

[0029] A third embodiment of the present invention with the drawer 416at the internal and external positions are shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5respectively. Several variations are shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 ascompared with the examples shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 2 and FIG. 3. Insteadof moving linearly on drawer slides as in the first two embodiment, thedrawer 416 in the third embodiment rotates horizontally on a bearing 418between the internal position shown in FIG. 4 and the external positionshown in FIG. 5. One or more mechanical guides 424 may be provided toposition and support the drawer 416 when the drawer is at the interior,or operating position. Next, the door 420 in the third embodiment opensdownward, instead of to the side as in the first embodiment shown inFIG. 2. The cartridge slots 402 of the third embodiment allow forinsertion and removal of the storage media cartridges 104 from twosides, one side for accessibility by the robotic mechanism and the otherside for accessibility by the user. This feature allows the user toinsert and remove the storage media cartridges 104 with the drawer 416at both the internal position and the external position. Finally, thedrawer 416 in the third embodiment holds more than just the cartridgeslots 402 and robotic mechanism 416. Since the label sides 114 of thestorage media cartridges 104 face away from the robotic mechanism 106,the bar code reader 112 is attached to the drawer 416 beside thecartridge slots 402.

[0030] Referring to FIG. 5, a benefit of rotating the drawer 416 to theexterior position through the opening 422 is that one side of theopening 422 becomes unobstructed by the drawer 416, robotic mechanism106 or cartridge slots 402. This provides the user room to reach othercomponents inside the housing 400 such as the media drives 108.

[0031]FIG. 6 shows a fourth embodiment of the present invention with thedrawer 616 at the exterior position. In this fourth embodiment there aretwo sets of cartridge slots, a front set of cartridge slots 602 a and aback set of cartridge slots 602 b. The front set of cartridge slots 602a form a removable magazine 625. A magazine socket 626 provided on thedrawer 616 demountably receives the removable magazine 625 on the drawer616. The back set of cartridge slots 602 b may be permanently attachedto the drawer 616. The door 620 is attached to the drawer 616 and ismovable therewith.

[0032] Note that the back set of cartridge slots 602 b remain inside thehousing 600 when the drawer 616 is at the exterior position, as shown inFIG. 6. This shows a case where the drawer 616 is used to move the backset of cartridge slots 602 b to the front of the housing 600 where theycan be reached. While it is preferred, moving all of the cartridge slots602 a-b to the exterior of the housing 600 is not always necessary. Withthe back set of cartridge slots 602 b at or near the opening 622, theuser can insert and remove storage media cartridges 104 from the backset of cartridge slots 602 b from the same direction that the roboticmechanism 106 inserts and removes the storage media cartridges 104.Using longer drawer slides 618, the back set of cartridge slots 602 bcould be brought all of the way out of the housing 600 where the usercould insert and remove the storage media cartridges 104 through thetops of the back set of cartridge slots 602 b.

[0033] While embodiments of the invention have been illustrated anddescribed, it is not intended that these embodiments illustrate anddescribe all possible forms of the invention. Rather, the words used inthe specification are words of description rather than limitation, andit is understood that various changes may be made without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A storage library for storing a plurality of storage media cartridges, the storage library comprising: a housing having an opening; at least one cartridge handling device disposed inside the housing; a drawer moveably connected to the housing, the drawer having an internal position inside the housing, and operative to be moved through the opening of the housing to an external position; a plurality of cartridge slots disposed on the drawer for holding the plurality of storage media cartridges; and a robotic mechanism disposed on the drawer and operative to move the plurality of storage media cartridges one at a time between the plurality of cartridge slots and the at least one cartridge handling device.
 2. The storage library of claim 1 wherein an unobstructed path exists between the opening and the at least one cartridge handling device when the drawer is located at the external position.
 3. The storage library of claim 1 wherein the drawer is detachable from the housing.
 4. The storage library of claim 1 wherein each cartridge slot of the plurality of cartridge slots has a top side through which the plurality of storage media cartridges can be inserted and removed.
 5. The storage library of claim 1 further comprising at least one drawer slide moveably connecting the drawer to the housing, the at least one drawer slide permitting the drawer to be moved between the interior position and the exterior position.
 6. The storage library of claim 1 further comprising a bearing rotatably connecting the drawer to the housing, the bearing permitting the drawer to be rotated between the interior position and the exterior position.
 7. The storage library of claim 1 wherein the at least one cartridge handling device is at least one media drive operative to record information on and retrieve information from the plurality of storage media cartridges;
 8. The storage library of claim 1 wherein the at least one cartridge handling device is at least one transfer port operative to import and export at least one storage media cartridge at a time from the housing.
 9. The storage library of claim 1 wherein the plurality of cartridge slots form at least one magazine, the storage library further comprising at least one magazine socket provided on the drawer for demountably coupling the at least one magazine to the drawer.
 10. The storage library of claim 1 wherein at least one storage media cartridge of the plurality of storage media cartridges has a bar code, the storage library further comprising a bar code reader disposed on the robotic mechanism and operative to read the bar code of the at least one storage media cartridge.
 11. The storage library of claim 1 wherein at least one storage media cartridge of the plurality of storage media cartridges has a bar code, the storage library further comprising a bar code reader disposed on the drawer and operative to read the bar code of the at least one storage media cartridge.
 12. The storage library of claim 1 further comprising a door operative to cover the opening in the housing, the door being pivotally attached to the housing.
 13. The storage library of claim 1 further comprising a door operative to cover the opening in the housing, the door being attached to the drawer. 